THE WAY IT COULD BE – Age Fifteen

As soon as Mom began to notice my mood swings she talked me into going with her to the
family health centre where we saw the counsellor again. I also saw the doctor who referred
me to a psychiatrist right away who told me that I was suffering from the same kind of
mental illness that Dad had. She prescribed some medication that helped me control my
moods and behaviour. With the symptoms under better control I was able to concentrate. I
stayed in school and, with the counsellor’s help with day-to-day problems, I did OK. I also
joined a support group made up of other kids my age who were also coping with illnesses of
one kind or another, most of them mental, like mine. My friends stuck by me; they knew I
was sick, not weird!